Empathy 1.B - Staff and Student Well Being

Buice Center is focused on improving the overall wellbeing of our staff and students to meet the unique needs of individuals in the special education environment focusing on self-care, physical and mental health, and social-emotional learning. 

Staff Wellbeing 

We are committed to the personal, emotional, and physical wellbeing of our staff at the Buice Center. In an effort to provide more supports for our teachers and staff we are providing the following services for the 24-25 school year. 

1. Dry Cleaning Services - Staff will drop off their dry cleaning and be able to pick it up at the end of the week. It will also provide our in-house vocational students with an opportunity to help with collection, tagging, and delivery.
2. Meals - We are working on a partnership with Dinners by Derek to have healthy meals delivered here to Buice for an added convivence to family life. Staff can order breakfast, lunch, and dinners in an effort to take healthy meal prep off their plate. 
3. Car Detailing - We are working on a partnership with local business to provide car detailing services during the week.
4. Sugarhill Church - Recently we have entered into an exciting partnership with Sugarhill Church to help provide different experiences for our staff. The church has offered several meals, food trucks, treats, and other things that help lift the spirits and morale of our staff. 
5. STAR EMPLOYEE - Given our "Lights, Camera, IMPACT" theme we have worked to acknowledge 7 staff members per month for their hard work and dedication to the work of the GCPS blueprint in areas of empathy, equity, excellence, and effectiveness. 
6. Listening Sessions - Principal, Kim Mankin, will host listening sessions geared towards listening to the needs and desires of our staff. These sessions will be hosted in our wellness room and snacks will be provided. 
7. Praise - We will increase our efforts to praise staff for doing good work by:
   1. Utilizing the "Praise" feature in TEAMS. 
   2. Writing handwritten notes when work goes noticed by administration or other staff. 
   3. Offering "SHINES" through our staff newsletter. 
   4. Allowing employees to share IMPACT stories through our monthly faculty meetings and earning tickets for drawings when they volunteer to do so. 

Student Wellbeing 

Given the nature of our programs here at the Buice Center we are dedicated to ensuring that our students wellbeing is a top priority. We are working closely through our PBIS and SEL programs to provide students with the resources needed to help with student wellbeing.

1. SEL - Our SEL department is providing monthly calendars with resources geared towards creating thoughtful conversations and interactions. These calendars are being utilized by staff during SEL/ADVISEMENT times.
2. PBIS - Our PBIS program is centered around celebrating the positive outcomes for both students and staff. 
   1. Buice Bucks - are given by teachers and staff to celebrate positive behaviors of students. 
   2. PBIS Store- Students are given an opportunity weekly to spend their BUICE bucks at the PBIS Store. The material in the store is bought off feedback from the students of what they would like to purchase. A store is planned in December so students can purchase gifts for loved ones and care givers. 
   3. Monthly "Experiences" - a monthly ticketed event is being planned to allow students the chance to participate in appropriate and preferred activities of their choice. 
   4. Semester Celebrations - We are planning on recognizing both academic and behavior achievement at the end of each semester through an awards ceremony where friends and family will be invited to come and celebrate with their students. 
   5. Employee and Student Recognition - Monthly recognition of positive IMPACT will be given to chosen student and staff members. 
3. Counselor and Social Workers - Our team of social worker and counselor help to provide restorative practices for our students. Meetings are held weekly, monthly, and on a needed basis to ensure that students are modeled best practices in restoring relationships with each other and within themselves. 

Staff Wellbeing

1. Gallop Survey Results - Our baseline and targets for areas of growth according to the Gallop Survey Results are as follows:

Student Wellbeing 

We are creating a baseline measurement at the beginning of this year with a in house created student wellbeing survey. We will measure growth quarterly and respond to student concerns as needed. We will take an end of the year assessment in April and work in May to restructure programs, resources, and offerings for the 2025-2026  school year.

Equity 2.A - Multi-tiered System of Supports

Each and Every Student

The ultimate goal of each student who attends the Buice Center in any of our programs is to have a successful transition to the next opportunity that awaits them. In order to do this our goal includes becoming more collaborative this year as we establish transition teams across all programs who identify and implement successful transitions for each and every student through their IEP goals and objectives and transition plans.  

In the ADAPT / STRIVE / and / Project SEARCH programs this includes helping students transition to their next appropriate level of independence as indicated through their transition goals in their IEPs. 

In the BRIDGE program this includes creating student plans that identify the next steps in returning to home schools if appropriate. 

Each and Every Student

The ultimate goal of each student who attends the Buice Center in any of our programs is to have a successful transition to the next opportunity that awaits them. In order to do this our goal includes becoming more collaborative this year as we establish transition teams across all programs who identify and implement successful transitions for each and every student through their IEP goals and objectives and transition plans.  

In the ADAPT / STRIVE / and / Project SEARCH programs this includes helping students transition to their next appropriate level of independence as indicated through their transition goals in their IEPs. 

In the BRIDGE program this includes creating student plans that identify the next steps in returning to home schools if appropriate. 

ADMIN: 

• Meeting weekly to review LSPI, Retention Concerns, Evaluations, Gallop Survey and Employment Engagement Data, Student Behavior, and PBIS initiatives. 

ADAPT:

• TEAM meetings weekly to discuss agenda notes and address driving questions: 

• How is the experience at Buice going to be different from the education students were receiving at their home school?

• How are we leveling up the experiences to help students be as independent as possible towards their transition goals and objectives?

• Transition Team - Meets monthly to give updates on students in transition class to make moves towards STRIVE and Project SEARCH 

BRIDGE: 

• Language Arts - Middle School LA, High School LA, Media Specialist, and Curriculum AP 

• Curriculum Support - Curriculum Coaches meeting with our teachers to help get them the training and resources they need for content areas. 

• Meeting with local school teachers to discuss classroom and academic needs for helping students transition back to their home schools. 

• Transition Team - meeting to discuss students’ progress towards transition goals and objectives and creating timelines for student transition to home schools. 

• Intake Team - Helping students make transition to the Buice Center from local home schools. 

STRIVE: 

• Transition Team - to discuss intake into the STRIVE program from ADAPT. 

• Business Partnership Meetings - to discuss ongoing relationships with our STRIVE business partners and to address concerns as needed. 

Project SEARCH - 

• EPM (employment planning meetings) - to discuss progress of interns. Meets with business mentors, Project SEARCH staff, interns, and Human Resource department at local business. 

In order to provide the best staff possible to our students to make successful transitions possible we have created RETENTION and NEW STAFF INDUCTION teams that are responsible for helping us recruit and retain the staff our students need. We are accomplishing this through: 

• Stay Interviews with all new staff members

• New Teacher Weekly Check Ins

• New Teacher Monthly Meetings

• Mentor Meetings (Monthly) 

• Listening sessions with Principal Mankin

Growth for the success of our transition teams will be based up on the student needs that identified and supported through transition team meetings. 

Equity 2.B - Opportunity and Access

There are literacy needs across all programs at the Buice Center. We recognize that in order to help our students have the best possible chance at successful transition this includes ensuring that our students are receiving individualized instruction in the areas of literacy. Our literacy approach is to help identify current levels of our students as they enter our programs and then tailor an approach that is individualized to their needs through their IEP goals and objectives. 

ADAPT: 

Major focus: Students in ADAPT who have identified through their transition plan that they are interested in attending programs that require a reading level on or above a 3rd through 5th grade reading level. 

• Read 180 

• Unique Curriculum 

• Media Center Classes and Supports that foster a love of reading and maker space options that engage students. 

• Partnership with the GCPL to provide technology and resource based instruction.

BRIDGE:

Major focus: Students in the BRIDGE program who are below grade level in reading with a primary emphasis on those who are classified as non-readers or beginners. 

• Read 180 implementation. 

• Increase fidelity of High-Quality Tier 1 instruction through grade level curriculum, ongoing formative assessments, and progress monitoring. 

• Media Center Classes and Supports that foster a love of reading and maker space options that engage students. 

• Partnership with the GCPL to provide technology and resource based instruction.

·         Donations/Fundraisers 

Baseline: We are gathering baseline targets based on IEP testing information and diagnostic screens for iReady and READ 180. 

Target: Identified students in the BRIDGE and ADAPT programs will increase their reading levels by 2 grade levels. 

We will meet with the READ 180 Team and teachers at each 9 week mark to discuss progress and set target goals for each student. 

We will meet with each student's IEP team to discuss further needs and accommodation recommendations to help foster student success. 

The Buice Center seeks to use data to help our students see their success and to determine their needs both academically and behaviorally.

• We will continue progress monitoring for each student. 
• We will establish and create professional learning aligned to students' needs. 
• We will recognize and celebrate Bridge students with an award ceremony each semester. 
• We will require at least 2 peer observations for Bridge, Adapt and Strive teachers (one in their own program and one in a different area).
• The Bridge Team (principal, AP, SSW, Behavior specialist, and others) will meet monthly with the district team (Susan O'Neal staff) to have data talks about student progress and develop individual plans as needed to address gaps in student progress. 
• We will continue the New Teacher Mentor program and support teachers the first three years they are at Buice.  They will have monthly meetings as a group and weekly with their teams.

• Buice Center will host 4 events/activities for staff so we can connect and build relationships.

• The principal will host quarterly listening sessions to elevate teacher and staff voice.

• We will establish a Climate and Culture Team to plan events and activities for students, staff and families. 

All goals to be implemented at the beginning of the 24/25 school year, with data collection tools to be created.

Adapt, Bridge, STRIVE, and ProjectSEARCH students that are eligible for GVRA services will participate in Pre-Ets services during school hours to increase their knowledge and skills for the vocational and workforce.

• Identify students that need to be referred to GVRA at the beginning of the year.
• Identify the students already refrred and where they are in the process.
• Set up schedule with GVRA provider to service student in-house and  at Strive sites
• Begin services in partnershp with GVRA by October 2024 for those students that are eligible.  
• Keep documentation on topics taught and who attended.  

We will document the referrals, the topics to be learned and students that attend, using the data to see if it helped the student gain part-time to full-time employment after aging out from the program. 

The Buice Center will find relevant ways to communicate and engage parents, students, and staff to be transparent and build confidence in our programs and opportunities. 

• We will continue to communicate with parents and stakeholder’s monthly through a newsletter sent through ParentSquare. 
• We will develop a Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) team for the Bridge program for the 24/25 school year. 
• We will continue partnerships with the local community and business partners in our Adapt, STRIVE, and Project SEARCH programs. 
• We will continue to tell our story on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook for the 24/25 school year. 
• We will develop a relationship with Bridge students' home schools.  We want to educate and collaborate with homeschools of Bridge students to help them transition back to their communities. Home schools will be included in monthly meetings to share progress of the students.
• Bridge program will create a transition team of staff members that will go with a student that are making progress on their goals and objectives to help the student transition back to their home school for a 4 to 6 week period of time, which will include gradually fading as the weeks progress.   
• The Buice Center will continue to use ParentSquare to communicate with the school community.  Buice Center teachers will continue to implement a daily communication log with their students' families with a creation of a new form.
• Buice Center will maintain its school website.
• Buice Center will continue to offer Family/Teacher Conferences for all Bridge students during early release each semester. 
• Buice Center will continue to engage in meetings with families regarding their child’s Individualized Education Program.

Buice Center classroom teachers (100%) will utilize ParentSquare to communicate with the families of their students and log all communication in Synergy.

Newsletter will be sent monthly and posted to the school website as well.

We will host a community breakfast with our business partners this year to gain feedback, let them know we appreciate their partnership and network for new sites by word of mouth in the first semester of the 24/25 school year. 

 We will work to move from emerging to distinguished as a PBIS team in the 24/25 school year.

We will hold monthly meeting with pre-determined team and students homeschool represetative for all Bridge students to create better communication and relationships for all in order to create a desire and transition for the student and family in the 24/25 school year.